The Ward
by XxLostandWonderxX
Summary: She is the Ward. The first Narnian ward in a thousand years. She must live up to the expectations set by her family, maneuver social gatherings, and become, undoubtedly, the most powerful woman in Narnia.


The air was cool and dry, just the way she liked it. She took a deep breath in. _If only I had days like these every day._ She thought to herself. _If I didn't have so many pointless social appointments, I could actually take some time to enjoy myself._ Clearing her head of these thoughts and choosing, instead, to enjoy her time alone, she kicked her shoes off and ran into the woods. As a child, the woods were her place of entertainment, and growing older changed nothing. As she felt her hair lightly catching in low lying tree branches, she thought about all the ways she was ruining her presentability with complete glee and a devilish smile. Her black, wavy hair flew behind her, ruining the new style that her nurse had taken several hours to complete in the early hours of the morning. _All for those stupid ladies and lords of the court._ Sweat staining her tan face and smearing the pounds upon pounds of makeup slathered on her face. Dirt and twigs staining and ripping the hem of her new dress. _It's a horrible thing anyway._ She lied to herself. To be quite honest, she was rather fond of this particular dress. _Mother designed it for the occasion,_ she thought to herself, slowing to a walk, and kicking the grass as she went. _Stupid royals. Stupid men. Stupid father._ With each thought she kicked the ground even harder, until she sent a large heap of dirt flying in the direction of an amused onlooker. She jumped back in a fright.

"Victor! What are you doing here? And how did you find me?" questioned the girl, almost angrily. The onlooker, Victor, chuckled before answering.

"One, dear sister, I'm here to fetch you. Two, I just followed the lovely dents in the scenery," he said pointing behind her. She whipped around and stared at the patches of dirt where she'd kicked up the ground. She huffed.

"I needed to be alone," she sighed, kicking the ground again. Victor laughed.

"Clearly." With his response, she turned to him, scrunching her nose up in question.

"Why did you need to fetch me?" she queried. "No new guests are due for another four hours. What more does father want from me?" Victor walked towards his sister, took her arm through his in the normal fashion, and began to walk with her towards their home.

"The Narnian congregation has arrived early, and you've missed their welcome." he answered. She huffed again and threw her hands up in frustration.

"Not more!" she whined. "There are already so many in the manor. I barely have any time alone. I don't want to have to play the pretty host anymore." Her brother sent her an endearing look.

"Well they're all leaving in two days, anyways." He said. "You can hold out that long, can't you?"

"And so am I, if you haven't forgotten!" she snapped back. Victor's eyes softened. He felt his sister's frustration. Once every five years, ladies from under the stature of princesses from the ages of fifteen to eighteen in a specific kingdom were claimed as wards by various kings in different realms. A minute under fifteen and they were ineligible. A minute over eighteen and they were also ineligible. They would be taught to act, think, and speak as a royal, as well as learn of the ways of their host kingdom for the course of five years. The eventual goal was to attract the attention of a suitor of a higher state. In return for the women, their families and subjects received a sum of money as well as any goods that kingdom may want to offer as compensation for the absence of their ladyship. It was a crude bartering system, but it was tradition. Much to the anger of the young girl, Archenland was chosen for this season's exchange, and she was less than two months away from turning eighteen.

"I hate having so many people in the house," she whined. Victor turned to her.

"Father is the Duke. It is tradition for everyone to reside at the Duke's manor." he replied. "Either way, you don't have to deal with the mothers and daughters alike crowing around you like you're some piece of meat." he complained. She shook her head and let out a single burst of a laugh.

"Ha! You don't have Prince Saadaan and Prince Aadian staring at your chest throughout luncheon." she stated darkly. Victor spun her around at hearing the names of the Calormene princes.

"You avoid them and their men, yes?"

"Yes."

"You lock your wing of the hall every night?"

"Yes, and I keep my key with me at all times."

"You never walk anywhere unaccompanied?"

"No, except the forest. They're too superstitious to follow me."

"You keep your daggers with you?"

"Yes, Victor! Now enough with the thousands of questions!" she huffed. They walked quietly for the rest of the way, and the girl was glad for it. She was too preoccupied with her thoughts. _I am not a good for trade. I am a human being. How could father allow this to happen? I was so close to being free from this stupid obligation. Now I must leave to some foreign country, and I do not even have a choice. Father will chose the agreement that is best for our people. Imagine if I'm sent off to Calormen. Or the Lone Isles?_ Her thoughts were finally interrupted when she and her brother approached the back of their home, where her fussy nurse bustled out. Victor seized this opportunity to dart away from his sister and the nurse, who, in this state, seemed rather ferocious.

"By the mane, Sophia! You couldn't keep yourself together for a few hours? Look at your dress! It's ruined. And your hair! And your makeup! And where are your shoes?" The nurse screeched. Sophia sighed, visibly upset. _Honestly, I don't know which question to answer first._

"My shoes are somewhere at the edge of the woods. My hair was pulling at my scalp, so I ran in it. And my makeup was bound to smear eventually," she replied. "I will take only a few minutes to ready myself. Just leave my red silk dress out, Munny. I'll be down to greet everybody soon," she pleaded. Her nurse must have seen the distress on her young mistress' face, because her face softened.

"Very well, miss. Up to your room. I shall have everything prepared."

"Thank you, Munny."

Sophia sat in her room after getting ready. She stared at herself at the mirror on her vanity. Her hair had been done in loose waves, and she was wearing a rather simple red dress with a straight lined skirt and half sleeves. Her hair was tied back with a red ribbon, and her makeup was done simply. She continued to stare at herself. _I don't want to go down there._ She thought. _I'll be viewed as simply a project. Not to mention it will be a bloodbath. All the ladies of Archenland trying to gain the attention of all the royals in the realm. I'm not prepared for this._ Once again her thoughts were interrupted, as she heard a knock at the door.

"Come in!" she called. The door opened, and she watched as her brother opened the door. But before he walked in as he so usually did, he stopped and stared at his sister.

"What's the matter?" Sophia asked. _Do I have something on my face? Is my hair a mess? Does this dress look awful on me?_

"Nothing is wrong." Victor replied. "You look beautiful, sister." he stated. Sophia was about to thank him before he continued. "But you looked troubled."

"Oh, Victor. What if I end up in a horrible country? What if I'm so far away, I'm never able to come home for a visit? What if my hosts do not allow me to visit or be visited? What if I don't get chosen?" The worries came tumbling out of her mouth. Victor seated himself on his knees at his sister's feet and tilted her chin so that she was looking directly at him.

"You should not have to worry about anything, Sophie." he replied. "I'll take care of everything."

"How?" asked Sophia. "Father will choose the best arrangement for the land." Her brown eyes began to water.

"I'll have none of this crying business." Victor said, pulling his sister into a hug. "Either way. The decision is mine."

"What do you mean?" she asked, pulling her head away.

"Well," Victor sighed. "Father was so taken by the wine that he left the choice to me." With those words, Sophia leapt with joy.

"Yes! Oh do make sure I stay somewhat close to home!" She requested, excitedly. "And make sure I don't go to Owlswood. If anything, make sure of that!" Her excitement was bubbling over.

"Sophie, you need to slow down." Victor said, placing both his hands on his sister's shoulders. "You haven't been in the house nearly all day! You have no stamps on your card!" Sophie's face dropped. Each eligible maiden had a card that was left out on a giant table at the entrance of the house. As these women mingled with the royals of various kingdoms. The king of each country would place a stamp on a maiden's card if she so happened to catch his or his company's interest. At the end of the night, the bidding on the wards would begin. More times than others the bidding would go until the wee hours of the morning. However, if a maiden received no stamps on her card, she would retire for the night, and be a source of shame for her family. _The wine won't be there to save me from father, then._ She thought bitterly.

"Father will lock me in the cellars, if I don't manage to get at least one stamp on my card!" Sophia cried, looking to Victor, desperately.

"There are still three hours left in the showcase!" He responded. "You'll need to do something unique." He said. Sophia began to calm down. The showcase was a period of time where the eligible maidens could move around from station to station displaying their talents in hopes to gain the attention of certain kingdoms.

"Well what has been done so far?" she asked. Victor shook his head.

"Needlework, baking, painting, crafting, penwork, and knitting have all been done." He replied. "Dancing as well, but only waltzes." Sophia's faced turned with worry. _All the common skills have been covered._ She thought to herself.

"What will I do?" she asked her brother. He sat for a moment, thinking deeply, as his brows furrowed.

"You'll do what you do best: fight." he said simply. She gave him an irritated look.

"Fight who? No one has ever displayed skills with weapons before. It's unheard of!" she snapped.

"That's why it will work, little flower." Victor responded, using her mother's old nickname for her. She heaved a breath.

"Let's do this, then."

"Announcing the daughter of Duke and the dearly departed Duchess Albernath, Lady Sophia Albernath." _He's always so loud. Pompous windbag._ Sophia thought to herself as she calmly descended the stairs. _I can do this. I just need to fight in front of every eligible maiden in Archenland, as well as the most important dignitaries in all the realm._ She was only glad that her brother awaited her at the bottom of the stairs to escort her through the throng of people. The throng, however, had no intention of letting her through.

"Why, my dear girl, where were you all this while?" queried a nasally voice. Both Sophia and Victor cringed at the sound of the Baroness of Arrowmead's voice. "The whole congregation was looking forward to viewing your _ahem_ interesting needlework." The insult of the Baroness' statement was not lost in her politeness. Sophia knew that her needlework was not as satisfactory as others would like. _It's awful. Father could probably do better than me with his fat thumbs._ Sophia took up a sickly sweet smile and tone while answering.

"As was I, your grace." she replied, curtseying. "However, I shall have to entertain you and the rest of the congregation in a much different fashion, tonight." Sophia watched as the Baroness' smug smile dropped off her face.

"W-w-well what did you have planned?" she asked, stuttering at first. "All of the designated sessions have concluded." The nervous baroness stated, gesturing to all the empty stations. Sophia let out a girly laugh.

"Where is the fun in anything **planned** , your grace?" She asked. The baroness had nothing with which to respond, and no time either.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Friends and trusted allies, I would like to request your presence on the training field. Shaded seating as well as fresh food and drink will be provided." Victor's voice boomed across the entire first floor of the manor. _He always did command the attention of the room._ Sophia watched as the entire assembly flooded towards the back garden and out to the field. She took a deep breath, and made her way as well.

There was a cool breeze that rippled across the sunlit training field. The collection of royalty and nobility were seated and confused. Sophia reached the training ground. Sword in hand. _Deep breaths. Focus._ She barely registered her brother saying to the crowd.

"My dear younger sister, Sophia Albernath, would like to display her skill in swordplay. She requests a single male to accept her challenge to a duel. To a disarming only. I can assure you that she is a worthy challenger." with those words, a murmur whooshed through the crowd. Sophia could hear whispers of "A lady? Fighting?" She scoffed. _Are they all that afraid?_ Silence went through the crowd as she scanned with eyes narrowed. After several minutes, a voice broke the silence.

"I, King Caspian the Tenth, accept the Lady's challenge."


End file.
